A study of Britons’ quality of life has found that a healthy amount of sleep has a far higher impact on wellbeing than a 50% increase in disposable income.

The study found there is a significant gap between those who are living the best and worst quality lives in Britain, with sleep quality found to be the strongest indicator of living well.

According to the research the average Briton has a living well score of 62.2 out of 100 – those living the best have scores between 72 and 92.

The study found that a 50% increase in income only improved the typical Britons living well score by 0.5 while sleep quality improved the score by 3.8.

The research was carried out by Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social Research for Sainsbury’s and revealed that people who are satisfied with their sex lives, have job security and a connection with their community are also more likely to rank at the top of the living well index.

Researchers asked 8,250 people questions about 60 different aspects of their behaviour, how they live and how they feel.

Ian Mulheirn, director of consulting at Oxford Economics, said: “Wellbeing is rising up the agenda at a time of rapid change in how we live our lives, and we’ve created a critical new tool that can help us to unpick what’s driving our sense of living well, drawing on a unique, rolling survey of unprecedented breadth and granularity.

“The analysis within the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index reveals that, in a world that’s never been more connected, the richness of our relationships and support networks remains among the biggest determinants of how well we live, and represents an area of our lives in which we can act.”

A ward councillor concerned about the closure of one of Ipswich’s largest care homes has said she is “puzzled” by the lack of demand for its services – as fellow health leaders claim they are seeing a spike in older people needing care, not a fall.